Life with an LVAD. Boy, do I remember when my daughter had her LVAD. At the time Lauren was on the heart transplant list living in the hospital. She became very sick, her heart functions were failing fast. We were told about the LVAD at the beginning when she first was listed that it could be a possibility she may need one, they call it a bridge to transplant.

What is an LVAD?At the core of the HeartWare® System is a pumping device called a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The LVAD sits inside your chest and is connected directly to your heart. It pumps blood from the left side of your heart into your aorta (large blood vessel that carries blood from your heart to the rest of your body). The blood exits the pump in a continuous stream much like water out of a garden hose. Note that this continuous flow of blood is different than the pulsing beat of a normal heart, and as a result you may not be able to feel your pulse. There is no need for concern, this is completely normal. That was in June of 2013. During that time, I could not believe their was a mini machine inside Lauren's heart pumping the blood for her. If you listened to her chest you could hear a slight humming for the LVAD. Before we came home, we had our electrician come to put an outlet in her room that was on it's own breaker, just to be on the safe side. To be honest I treated Lauren like a new born baby. So afraid of everything. We had all the proper training on the device but, that's my child living with a machine and battery packs. It is very scary. We lived through it and Lauren has received her heart on December 29, 2013. I wrote this post for one reason, you can live with a LVAD. You will get over the fear of the machine. This device saved my daughter's life.

This picture was taken when Lauren and I came home from the hospital after she had her LVAD surgery. I personally know how scary it is to live with a LVAD, but it did allow us to come home to wait for Lauren's new heart. Like the saying THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

I WAS A CAREGIVER OF A PAITENT OF AN LVADIF WE GOT THROUGH IT, YOU CAN​LYNNE​